Twenty percent of porn addicts prefer watching pornography to being sexually intimate, according to a new study from the University of Sydney. The research shows that, in severe cases, porn addicts will shun real intimacy in favour of online interactions. As the addict withdraws into their online world, they can incur very real consequences.
Of the 800 people in the study, 30 percent said their work performance suffered or they were fired because of their porn addiction. Another 14 percent had formed relationships with other online addicts. The researchers also found that many porn addicts had social and relationship problems caused by their pornography addiction.

Dr Gomathi Sitharthan, one of the study’s lead researchers said, “We all know what porn is, but until now we haven’t known much about its impact. Gone are the days when you had to go to a shop, pay for the merchandise, and come out with a magazine in a brown paper bag. You can now download anything, anytime, anywhere – at home, in your bedroom, in your office, in the car, in the park, on the way to work.”

This overabundance of explicit material may explain why people are viewing porn more often and at a much younger age. According to the study, 43 percent of those surveyed said they started watching porn between the ages of 11 and 13. Furthermore, 47 percent of those studied viewed pornography for between 30 minutes and three hours per day.

Professor Raj Sitharthan from the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Sydney and the studies other lead researcher said, “The reality is that porn is here to stay. What we need is a balanced view of the potential dangers of porn addiction, supported by good evidence.” In the last five years, Sitharthan has seen an increase in people presenting with problems associated with excessive porn viewing in his clinical practice.

The study shows that many of these addicts are married or in long term relationships. More worryingly, some users are shifting to more extreme and even illegal material in order to feed their addiction.

Thankfully, the situation is not hopeless. 88% of those surveyed said they were willing to seek help, especially if it were offered online. These people recognise they may have a problem which can be the hardest step for some addicts.

“Watching porn is a learned behaviour and we believe it can be unlearned. We are finding that people do understand that their excessive porn viewing is impacting on their lives and they want to change,” Dr Sitharthan said.